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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 19, 2012 · 20 Sports Oakville Beaver By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Aquinas mourning loss of beloved teacher/coach/mentor and -- with his brother Peter, also a teacher at Aquinas -- volleyball. Those teams consistently had sucThroughout their school cess, winning Halton championcareers, students will encounter ships, often despite competing teachers who inspire them in the against much larger schools. And classroom. Others will have coach- many of the players he coached es that help them reach their went on to play at the university potential. Some will discover a level. But as great as his passion in a field they influence was on the may never have considRaiders' sports scene, ered. Still more will he was probably even simply appreciate the more influential as a teacher that can make drama teacher. Daly them smile on a bad said Szpakowski had a day. special talent for bringStudents at St. ing out the best in his Thomas Aquinas students. Catholic Secondary "In drama, a lot of it School arrived at school Ron Szpakowski is getting kids to get this week to discover out of their comfort they had lost all of those. Ron Szpakowski, who had a zone," he said. "He was able to get wide-reaching influence at the kids to see in themselves what we school, from drama to sports to see in them in as opposed to the music, died Monday morning at limitations they put on themselves." the age of 48. "He was definitely an educator "It seems trite to say teacher/ coach/mentor, but that's what he before a coach," said Holy Trinity was," said Aquinas principal Pat teacher Ron Esteban, who had Daly. "He helped out in so many Szpakowski as a teacher in Grade areas. He was a pretty well-round- 8 at St. Luke Elementary School. ed person. I think that's why he "He was very motivational. He saw had such a connection with the that passion and he brought it out. kids and staff. He could meet them Anybody associated with him would tell you about the mark he on so many levels." See Tributes, page 21 Szpakowski coached basketball STEVEN DER-GERABEDIAN / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER STREAK SNAPPED: Oakville intermediate AA Hornets player Michelle Quick carries the puck during Friday's Provincial Women's Hockey League contest at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Oakville suffered its first loss in nine games, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Kitchener-Waterloo Rangers. Hornets' unbeaten run ends at eight The Oakville intermediate AA Hornets' eight-game unbeaten streak in Provincial Women's Hockey League action was snapped Friday with a 2-0 loss to the Kitchener-Waterloo Rangers at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Kitchener-Waterloo scored the game's first goal midway through the second period and added another with 8:21 to go in the third period. Camille Leonard made 24 saves in a losing cause for the Hornets, who had gone 5-0-3 in their previous eight games after beginning the season with an eight-game winless streak. Oakville also lost Sunday in London despite leading the 14-3-1 Devilettes 3-0 with 12 minutes to go in regulation. London's Brittany Howard recorded a natural hat trick to tie the game 3-3, and Mariah-Leigh Fell capped the Devilettes' comeback by scoring the winner with 1:59 left on the clock. Jennifer MacAskill, Victoria Medeiros and Michelle Quick had goals for the Hornets -- who outshot London 39-23 -- and Kierra Lambertucci made 19 saves in the loss. The Hornets will close out the 2012 portion of their schedule with a home date this Friday (Dec. 21) against the Durham West Lightning. Game time at Joshua's Creek is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. OAKVILLE BLADES VS. MISSISSAUGA CHARGERS Puck Drop 7:30 PM at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Family Friendly fully licensed area in the arena Adults $5, Students/Seniors $2, Kids FREE Any MOHA/Hornet players FREE, All MOHA/Hornets Coaching Staffs FREE, Oakville Blades Alumni FREE THE PINE ROOM RETURNS!